An air belt device (i.e., a seat belt device) that is worn by a vehicle occupant and is provided with webbing that inflates and deploys in a vehicle emergency is disclosed in Japanese National Phase Publication No. 2002-502918. Moreover, a seat belt device that is provided with a conventional type of webbing that does not inflate and deploy in the aforementioned manner is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2014-19294.
The webbing that forms part of the air belt device described in Japanese National Phase Publication No. 2002-502918 is formed in a bag shape by having an upper-side web layer and a lower-side web layer. During a vehicle emergency, the webbing is inflated and deployed as a result of gas being supplied to a portion between the upper-side web layer and the lower-side web layer. As a consequence, the chest portion of a vehicle occupant can be supported over a broader surface area.
Because the webbing of the air belt device described in Japanese National Phase Publication No. 2002-502918 is formed in a bag shape, it may be thought that the texture (i.e., the sensation) that is felt when touching this webbing is different from the texture felt when touching a conventional type of webbing. Specifically, as an example, if a vehicle occupant grasps the webbing forming part of an air belt device, the shape of the webbing is deformed into a circular cross-section, while if a vehicle occupant grasps a conventional type of webbing, the shape of the webbing is deformed into a U-shaped cross-section.